UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
In the Matter of GUIDANCE SOFTWARE, INC., a corporation.
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FILE NO. 062 3057 AGREEMENT CONTAINING CONSENT ORDER
The Federal Trade Commission has conducted an investigation of certain acts and practices of Guidance Software, Inc., a California corporation (“proposed respondent”). Proposed respondent, having been represented by counsel, is willing to enter into an agreement containing a consent order resolving the allegations contained in the attached draft complaint. Therefore, IT IS HEREBY AGREED by and between Guidance Software, Inc., by its duly authorized officers, and counsel for the Federal Trade Commission that: 1. Proposed respondent Guidance Software, Inc. is a California corporation with its principal office or place of business at 215 N. Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, California, 91101. 2. complaint. 3. Proposed respondent admits all the jurisdictional facts set forth in the draft
Proposed respondent waives: A. any further procedural steps;
B. the requirement that the Commission’s decision contain a statement of findings of fact and conclusions of law; and C. all rights to seek judicial review or otherwise to challenge or contest the validity of the order entered pursuant to this agreement. 4. This agreement shall not become part of the public record of the proceeding unless and until it is accepted by the Commission. If this agreement is accepted by the Commission, it, together with the draft complaint, will be placed on the public record for a period of thirty (30) days and information about it publicly released. The Commission thereafter Page 1 of 7
may either withdraw its acceptance of this agreement and so notify proposed respondent, in which event it will take such action as it may consider appropriate, or issue and serve its complaint (in such form as the circumstances may require) and decision in disposition of the proceeding. 5. This agreement is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by proposed respondent that the law has been violated as alleged in the draft complaint, or that the facts as alleged in the draft complaint, other than the jurisdictional facts, are true. 6. This agreement contemplates that, if it is accepted by the Commission, and if such acceptance is not subsequently withdrawn by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.34 of the Commission’s Rules, the Commission may, without further notice to proposed respondent, (1) issue its complaint corresponding in form and substance with the attached draft complaint and its decision containing the following order in disposition of the proceeding, and (2) make information about it public. When so entered, the order shall have the same force and effect and may be altered, modified, or set aside in the same manner and within the same time provided by statute for other orders. The order shall become final upon service. Delivery of the complaint and the decision and order to proposed respondent’s address as stated in this agreement by any means specified in Section 4.4(a) of the Commission’s Rules shall constitute service. Proposed respondent waives any right it may have to any other manner of service. The complaint may be used in construing the terms of the order. No agreement, understanding, representation, or interpretation not contained in the order or in the agreement may be used to vary or contradict the terms of the order. 7. Proposed respondent has read the draft complaint and consent order. It understands that it may be liable for civil penalties in the amount provided by law and other appropriate relief for each violation of the order after it becomes final. ORDER DEFINITIONS For purposes of this order, the following definitions shall apply: 1. “Personal information” shall mean individually identifiable information from or about a consumer including, but not limited to: (a) a first and last name; (b) a home or other physical address, including street name and name of city or town; (c) an email address or other online contact information, such as an instant messaging user identifier or a screen name that reveals a consumer’s email address; (d) a telephone number; (e) a Social Security number; (f) credit or debit card information, including card number, expiration date, and numerical security code; (g) a persistent identifier, such as a customer number held in a “cookie” or processor serial number, that is combined with other available data that identifies a consumer; or (h) any other Page 2 of 7
information from or about a consumer that is combined with (a) through (g) above. 2. Unless otherwise specified, “respondent” shall mean Guidance Software, Inc. and its successors and assigns, officers, agents, representatives, and employees. 3. “Commerce” shall mean as defined in Section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. § 44. I. IT IS ORDERED that respondent, directly or through any corporation, subsidiary, division, or other device, in connection with the online advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale, or sale of any product or service, in or affecting commerce, shall not misrepresent in any manner, expressly or by implication, the extent to which respondent maintains and protects the privacy, confidentiality, security, or integrity of any personal information collected from or about consumers. II. IT IS ORDERED that respondent, directly or through any corporation, subsidiary, division, or other device, in connection with the advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale, or sale of any product or service, in or affecting commerce, shall, no later than the date of service of this order, establish and implement, and thereafter maintain, a comprehensive information security program that is reasonably designed to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of personal information collected from or about consumers. Such program, the content and implementation of which must be fully documented in writing, shall contain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to respondent’s size and complexity, the nature and scope of respondent’s activities, and the sensitivity of the personal information collected from or about consumers, including: A. the designation of an employee or employees to coordinate and be accountable for the information security program. B. the identification of material internal and external risks to the security, confidentiality, and integrity of personal information that could result in the unauthorized disclosure, misuse, loss, alteration, destruction, or other compromise of such information, and assessment of the sufficiency of any safeguards in place to control these risks. At a minimum, this risk assessment should include consideration of risks in each area of relevant operation, including, but not limited to: (1) employee training and management; (2) information systems, including network and software design, information processing, storage, transmission, and disposal; and (3) prevention, detection, and response to attacks, intrusions, or other systems failures.
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C. the design and implementation of reasonable safeguards to control the risks identified through risk assessment, and regular testing or monitoring of the effectiveness of the safeguards’ key controls, systems, and procedures. D. the development and use of reasonable steps to retain service providers capable of appropriately safeguarding personal information they receive from respondent, requiring service providers by contract to implement and maintain appropriate safeguards, and monitoring their safeguarding of personal information. E. the evaluation and adjustment of respondent’s information security program in light of the results of the testing and monitoring required by subparagraph C, any material changes to respondent’s operations or business arrangements, or any other circumstances that respondent knows or has reason to know may have a material impact on the effectiveness of its information security program. III. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, in connection with its compliance with Paragraph II of this order, respondent shall obtain initial and biennial assessments and reports (“Assessments”) from a qualified, objective, independent third-party professional, using procedures and standards generally accepted in the profession. The reporting period for the Assessments shall cover: (1) the first one hundred and eighty (180) days after service of the order for the initial Assessment, and (2) each two (2) year period thereafter for ten (10) years after service of the order for the biennial Assessments. Each Assessment shall: A. set forth the specific administrative, technical, and physical safeguards that respondent has implemented and maintained during the reporting period; B. explain how such safeguards are appropriate to respondent’s size and complexity, the nature and scope of respondent’s activities, and the sensitivity of the personal information collected from or about consumers; C. explain how the safeguards that have been implemented meet or exceed the protections required by Paragraph II of this order; and D. certify that respondent’s security program is operating with sufficient effectiveness to provide reasonable assurance that the security, confidentiality, and integrity of personal information is protected and has so operated throughout the reporting period. Each Assessment shall be prepared and completed within sixty (60) days after the end of the reporting period to which the Assessment applies by a person qualified as a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) or as a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA); a Page 4 of 7
person holding Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) from the SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute; or a similarly qualified person or organization approved by the Associate Director for Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580. Respondent shall provide the initial Assessment, as well as all: plans, reports, studies, reviews, audits, audit trails, policies, training materials, and assessments, whether prepared by or on behalf of respondent, relied upon to prepare such Assessment to the Associate Director for Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580, within ten (10) days after the Assessment has been prepared. All subsequent biennial Assessments shall be retained by respondent until the order is terminated and provided to the Associate Director of Enforcement within ten (10) days of request. IV. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondent shall maintain, and upon request make available to the Federal Trade Commission for inspection and copying, a print or electronic copy of each document relating to compliance, including but not limited to: A. for a period of five (5) years: any documents, whether prepared by or on behalf of respondent, that contradict, qualify, or call into question respondent’s compliance with this order; and B. for a period of three (3) years after the date of preparation of each biennial Assessment required under Paragraph III of this order: all plans, reports, studies, reviews, audits, audit trails, policies, training materials, and assessments, whether prepared by or on behalf of respondent, relating to respondent’s compliance with Paragraphs II and III of this order for the compliance period covered by such biennial Assessment. V. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondent shall deliver a copy of this order to all current and future principals, officers, directors, and managers, and to all current and future employees, agents, and representatives having managerial responsibilities relating to the subject matter of this order. Respondent shall deliver this order to such current personnel within thirty (30) days after service of this order, and to such future personnel within thirty (30) days after the person assumes such position or responsibilities. VI. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondent shall notify the Commission at least thirty (30) days prior to any change in the corporation that may affect compliance obligations arising under this order, including, but not limited to, a dissolution, assignment, sale, merger, or other Page 5 of 7
action that would result in the emergence of a successor corporation; the creation or dissolution of a subsidiary, parent, or affiliate that engages in any acts or practices subject to this order; the proposed filing of a bankruptcy petition; or a change in either corporate name or address. Provided, however, that, with respect to any proposed change in the corporation about which respondent learns less than thirty (30) days prior to the date such action is to take place, respondent shall notify the Commission as soon as is practicable after obtaining such knowledge. All notices required by this Paragraph shall be sent by certified mail to the Associate Director, Division of Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580. VII. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that respondent shall, within one hundred and eighty (180) days after service of this order, and at such other times as the Commission may require, file with the Commission an initial report, in writing, setting forth in detail the manner and form in which it has complied with this order. VIII. This order will terminate twenty (20) years from the date of its issuance, or twenty (20) years from the most recent date that the United States or the Federal Trade Commission files a complaint (with or without an accompanying consent decree) in federal court alleging any violation of the order, whichever comes later; provided, however, that the filing of such a complaint will not affect the duration of: A. any Paragraph in this order that terminates in less than twenty (20) years;
B. this order’s application to any respondent that is not named as a defendant in such complaint; and C. this order if such complaint is filed after the order has terminated pursuant to this Paragraph. Provided, further, that if such complaint is dismissed or a federal court rules that respondent did not violate any provision of the order, and the dismissal or ruling is either not appealed or upheld on appeal, then the order will terminate according to this Paragraph as though the complaint had never been filed, except that the order will not terminate between the date such complaint is filed
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and the later of the deadline for appealing such dismissal or ruling and the date such dismissal or ruling is upheld on appeal.
GUIDANCE SOFTWARE, INC. Dated: ____________ By: ______________________ GUIDANCE SOFTWARE, INC.
______________________ MARC ZWILLINGER Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP Counsel for respondent Guidance Software, Inc.
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Dated: ___________
By: ______________________ ALAIN SHEER KATHRYN D. RATTE' KATRINA A. BLODGETT Counsel for the Federal Trade Commission
APPROVED:
______________________________ JOEL WINSTON Associate Director Division of Financial Practices
______________________________ LYDIA B. PARNES Director Bureau of Consumer Protection
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